Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Recent Legislation

Due to current social and political
discussions revolving around laws about contraceptives and abortion, the
significance of newer pro-life and related legislation has become more
relevant. Certain words such as insurance, healthcare, contraceptives, and
abortion act as trigger words—words that stimulate a heavy debate or trigger an
argumentative discussion on the subject of pro-life versus pro-choice. This
moral issue has become a political one. Many Representatives and Senators today
are taking a stand by promoting specific legislature that endeavors to uphold
constitutional principles and the sanctity of human life.

Recent House and Senate bills
are suggesting small but significant changes in current legislature. Some of these
bills are making simple exceptions to new healthcare laws, some require women
to have an exam by a physician before taking any abortion-inducing drugs, while
all are seeking to prevent taxpayer dollars from going to something many taxpayers
do not morally support.

In an effort to clarify and
explain some of these new bills, I am summarizing two in order to help keep the
public informed. An explanation of the bills and their purpose will help us to
understand their significance in today’s debates.

I
want to first address one of the house bills and its connotations.

HB112

By Representative Henry

February 7, 2012

Synopsis
of Bill: Currently, the new federal health care reform law requires individual
states to operate and maintain "health insurance exchanges." Health
insurance plans offering abortion coverage are allowed to participate in a
state's exchange and to receive federal subsidies unless the Legislature
affirmatively opts out of offering these plans. This bill would specifically
provide that the State of Alabama affirmatively opts out of allowing abortion
coverage by exchange participating health plans. This bill would prohibit
health insurance coverage of elective abortions unless the insured has paid additional
monies for a separate rider.

This bill makes two important points:

“Federal funding of insurance plans
that provide abortions is an unprecedented change in federal abortion funding
policy. The Hyde Amendment, as passed each year in the Labor Health and Human
Services Appropriations bill, and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program,
FEHBP, prohibit federal funds from subsidizing health insurance plans that
provide abortions. Under this new law, however, exchange participating health
insurance plans that provide abortions can receive federal funds. (section
1:2).

"The provision of federal funding for
health insurance plans that provide abortion coverage is nothing short of
taxpayer funded and government endorsed abortion.” (section 1:3).

An important provision in this bill is
that: “The decision not to fund abortions places no governmental obstacle in
the path of a woman who chooses to terminate her pregnancy.” (section 1:5).

While this provision may seem like a
compromise, it may be necessary to take small steps in order to make big
changes with regard to current laws.

Furthermore, “Citizens of the State of
Alabama, like other Americans, oppose the use of public funds, both federal and
state, to pay for abortions. For example, a January 2010 Quinnipiac poll showed
that 7 in 10 Americans were opposed to provisions in federal health care reform
that use federal funds to pay for abortions and abortion coverage.” (section
1:7).

“No health insurance contract, plan, or
policy delivered or issued for delivery in Alabama shall provide coverage for
abortions except when the life of the mother is endangered by a physical
disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering
physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself. Insurance
providers may offer abortion coverage through optional rider for which there
must be paid an additional premium.” (section 3:a)

This is one bill among many others
challenging the status quo in terms of abortion laws. If you are interested in
learning more about this bill and others, you can visit this site to find out
more about your legislature: http://www.legislature.state.al.us/index.html

A few other important House Bills are:
HB223, HB493, and HB375. You can search for these at ALISON.

If you agree with or support one or
more of these bills contact your legislator and/or representative and let them know! It is important for them
to realize how many of their constituents agree with certain bills in order for
them to represent you well. It is crucial for us to educate ourselves and to
know what we support to really make a difference and stand up for what we believe
in.